January 8, 2015
NCLR Holds Twitter Town Hall on Conversion Therapy
Winnie McCroy READ TIME: 2 MIN.
The National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) will host a Twitter town hall today, January 8 at 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. PT to discuss the dangers of conversion therapy, the efforts to stop these practices once and for all, and what the community can do.
The town hall is organized days after the tragic death of Leelah Alcorn, who took her life after facing years of rejection and enduring conversion therapy. Starting now, Twitter users can submit their questions using hashtag #BornPerfect.
The town hall panelists will include the following:
Kate Kendell, Esq. @KateKendell, NCLR Executive Director
Maris Ehlers @mepinmin, sister of Kirk Murphy, who took his life at the age of 38 in 2003 after enduring conversion therapy as a child.
James Guay, LMFT @JamesTherapy, conversion therapy survivor, marriage and family therapist, and #BornPerfect Advisory Committee Co-Chair.
Rev. Dr. Justin Tanis @Justin_Tanis, Center for Lesbian and Gay Studies in Religion and Ministry Managing Director and co-author of the National Transgender Discrimination Survey.
Samantha Ames, Esq. @SamanthaSAmes, NCLR Staff Attorney and #BornPerfect Campaign Coordinator.
NCLR has been at the forefront of efforts to protect youth and their families from these dangerous practices for more than two decades and helped pass legislation in California, New Jersey, and the District of Columbia.
Earlier this year, NCLR launched its #BornPerfect campaign to stop conversion therapy across the country over the next five years by passing laws, fighting in courtrooms, and raising awareness about the serious harms caused by attempts to change a young person's sexual orientation or gender identity.
The National Center for Lesbian Rights is a national legal organization committed to advancing the human and civil rights of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community through litigation, public policy advocacy, and public education.
Learn more about #BornPerfect at www.NCLRights.org
Winnie McCroy is the Women on the EDGE Editor, HIV/Health Editor, and Assistant Entertainment Editor for EDGE Media Network, handling all women's news, HIV health stories and theater reviews throughout the U.S. She has contributed to other publications, including The Village Voice, Gay City News, Chelsea Now and The Advocate, and lives in Brooklyn, New York.